Frances Feasey, Emily Simson and Gunnedah’s Maree Kelly will showcase their works at Gunnedah Bicentennial Creative Arts Gallery from December 9.

Titled “A Wilful, Lavish Land”, the exhibition is named after a line from Dorothea Mackellar’s famous poem My Country, which provoked the artists to explore their practices of drawing, printmaking and painting in acrylics and oils.

Mrs Kelly said the idea for the exhibition came about when the three of them were in Hill End last year for a weekend of drawing and painting .

“The title comes from Dorothea Mackellar’s poem My Country, which we found inspiring and a theme we could all work towards for a collaborative exhibition,” she said.

“Even though our styles and painting media used vary between us, we are all greatly inspired by the landscape around us. 

“Light in the landscape is a common theme for all of us.”

By depicting the landscapes in contemporary forms, the artists represent the connections to land through representational and abstract marks and shapes deeply layered in their chosen mediums. The gestural nature of these works create a sense of change and movement representing the ever-changing and vast landscape.

Frances Feasey grew up in the Tamworth area and now lives in the Blue Mountains. Emily Simson is originally from the local area, growing up on the family farm at “Red Bobs” on Wandobah Road, and is now living in Armidale. She attended Tamworth TAFE with Ms Feasey where they studied Fine Arts. Mrs Kelly also attended the same institution a couple of years later and she and Ms Simson then went on to finish their arts training with a degree in fine arts from the University of Newcastle. 

The exhibition will open at 6pm, with drinks and canapes provided. The night will provide an opportunity to meet the artists and learn about their approach to their process of creation. A “Wilful, Lavish Land” will be on display until  February 2, 2018.